5 steps to stress-free scrapping

Late Saturday night I stumbled upon a truly no-fuss method for making a layout magically come together. Perhaps it was just mere coincidence of creativity and timing, but I think these 5 steps are one more great way to make scrapping simple. I’ll take you through my thought process for this layout:

1. Select a grouping of photos that inspire you. As I was editing a batch of photos from the summer, I used richly colored vintage preset to make a set of goofy shots come together. These photos illustrate the subjects’ personalities very well.

2. Find a template that fits your photos. By choosing your images first, the memories remain at the heart of your scrapping. Find a template that works with the story you are telling. In this example, I wanted to re-create the look of rounded corner photos pasted to paper – a classic paper scrapping method (download link at the end).


3. Choose a “basic black dress” kit that coordinates well. I love to keep a variety of goes-with-anything kits in my stash. Bright colors, fresh patters and not-too-themed elements are the hallmarks. For this layout, the new Click. kit from Kelley Mickus would be perfect.

4. Pull it all together (swiftly). Try not to overthink your design. Often you first gut instincts generate the greatest eye appeal. Focus on your journaling and using pretty papers. Leave excessive clusters/bling for another layout.

5. Wait to export/upload. Twice now, I’ve found that “sleeping on it” is a great way to finish a layout. I bring all the elements together fairly quickly one evening and then polish it up the next. This approach prevents endless tinkering.

Do you have a stress-free process that works for you? I’d love to hear about little things you do to make digital scrapbooking work for you!

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